Rishi Sunak apologizes for 'appalling' treatment of LGBT people in the military

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized on behalf of the government on Wednesday for the "appalling" treatment of LGBT people in the military until they were allowed to serve in 2000. "It was a terrible failure of the British state to ban LGBT persons from serving in our armed forces until 2000," Sunak told parliament.

“During this time, many people have suffered the most horrific sexual harassment, violence, homophobic abuse while serving this country bravely,” said Rishi Sunak.

LESBIAN, GAY, BIEXUAL OR TRANS PERSONS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO POST IN THE BRITISH ARMY UNTIL THE LAW CHANGES IN 2000

“Today, we want to tell each and every one of our veterans, sailors and aviators, many of whom are now retired, that you are one of us,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace.

Minister Wallace said, “Tolerance, the values of Western democracies that we want you to fight for, has been denied to you. It was a serious mistake,” he added. Veterans minister Johnny Mercer said it was a "very important day".

The opposition Labor Party's shadow defense minister, John Healey, also welcomed the apology "as a recognition of their ill-treatment".

The apology came the day a government-commissioned report was released on the experiences of former LGBT military personnel serving from 1967 to 2000.

Among other things, the report recommends that veterans affected by the ban on LGBT people serving in the armed forces before 2000 be given “appropriate financial compensation.”

An LGBT person who testified anonymously in the report said, “I was the victim of insults, physical attacks, harassment, I was afraid of losing my job. All this because people suspect that I am gay,” he said. The LGBT individual said, “I wasn't, I'm transgender. But it was considered worse.” Catherine Dixon, a former military veteran and now vice president of LGBT charity Stonewall, welcomed the government's apology. “This is an important milestone for LGBTQ+ people who have served in the armed forces and who, like myself, have experienced shame, humiliation and a wasted military career because of their sexuality,” he said.

At the beginning of 2021, the Ministry of Defense announced that soldiers discharged from the army because of their sexual orientation or gender identity will be able to recover their lost medals.

This change comes after the legal battle of Falklands War veteran Joe Ousalice, who managed to get his medal confiscated in 2020 when he was forced to leave the Royal Navy due to his sexual orientation.

Southampton, 70, a former radio operator who has also served in the Middle East and Northern Ireland during his 18-year career, was stripped of his long service and good conduct medal after he was found guilty by a military court in 1993.